Today we have heard the final words of the Sermon on the Mount, the sermon that is Jesus’ manifesto, His picture of what real Christian living means. It ends with a plea that is also a warning against hypocrisy: He urges us to put our faith into practice.
Jesus illustrates the point with a parable, which compares the exploits of two people. One of them, whom He describes as “a stupid manâ€, built his house on sand, probably in one of the sandy river beds common in the Holy Land. The other person, characterised by Jesus as “a sensible manâ€, built his house on a sure foundation. It had to bear the burnt of winter floods and gales, but it stood firm: “it was founded on rock.†People who listen to Jesus’ words but don’t put them into practice are builders on sand, and there is no place for them in the kingdom of God. On the other hand, those who strive to listen to the Lord and act upon what they have heard are building on solid rock.
The Christian life is not a matter of personal achievement; it is what is achieved with God’s help.